Saquon Barkley

Barkley's Heisman bid falls short as Lions' standout not among three finalists

By Audrey Snyder

Dec 4, 2017 • 7:35 pm

1.7K

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Only three finalists will head to New York City this weekend vying for college football's top individual honor. Penn State running back Saquon Barkley is not one of them.

Penn State's standout junior was not invited to this weekend's ceremony despite being the front runner for the award at one point this season. With Baker Mayfield leading the way, the Sooners' quarterback will be joined at the ceremony by Stanford running back Bryce Love and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.

While it came as a surprise that Barkley – a human highlight reel – didn't make the cut, he wasn't alone as other Heisman contenders like San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny and Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor didn't hear their names called either. There could have been more than three finalists selected if the vote totals were close enough, but clearly that wasn't the case this year. Barkley is still projected as a top-5 NFL pick and has even been pegged as high as No. 1 on mock lists.

The struggles of Penn State's run game this season kept Barkley's once thought to be eye-popping numbers to a minimum. He showcased his versatility during the Happy Valley Heisman campaign, returning two kicks for touchdowns and being used as a pass catcher more than ever before. But, most of the impact Barkley had on games didn't show up on the stat sheet, which is a direct reflection of him not making the cut.

It was the impact of causing defenders to load the box because they knew they had to make No. 26 the focal point of their gameplan. It was teams kicking the ball short to Koa Farmer rather than Barkley, knowing all too well he could turn one into a touchdown in the blink of an eye. From a stats perspective, it seems logical that he isn't there. But it's also baffling because of the obvious impact Barkley had on every game. His presence alone allowed someone else to have a more favorable matchup to exploit.

Barkley averaged a touchdown on every 12 touches, a lofty total that was better than Ricky Williams in 1998 (13.8 touches), Derrick Henry in 2015 (14.5) and Reggie Bush in 2005 (14.9 touches), among many others.

But, for an award that seems to favor numbers put up by quarterbacks, Mayfield – last year's Heisman runner up – became the overwhelming favorite when the Sooners marched on and punched their College Football Playoff ticket. Jackson has a shot to become the second two-time winner since Archie Griffin did so back at Ohio State in 1974 and 1975.

Penn State hasn't had a player at the Heisman ceremony since Larry Johnson in 2002 and the Lions' lone Heisman Trophy winner was John Cappelletti in 1973.

Some of Barkley's teammates took to Twitter Monday night after the announcement to share their thoughts on the player and teammate they thought should've ended up in New York.